The Machine-Chapter 5: The Loose End
by sirvictor
Summary: The thrilling and mysterious conclusion to my first Freezing Fan fiction. Inspired by a true story, Kazuya finally solves the mystery of what happened in the first Chevalier facility. Will Kazuya get to the bottom of it, or meet death by nova prototype? Let's Find out!


The Machine – Chapter 5

Based on a true story

Kazuya and Howard continued their way through the doorway that lay past the artificial Carnival Arena, and as they made their way through a dark tunnel, suddenly 3  
familiar figures stood before them. One of them had her hair in a brown ponytail and wielded a chained flail, another had shoulder length auburn hair with 2 braids, and brandished a poleaxe, and the third had long brown hair, wielding 2 broadswords, and wore her skirt with an exposed midriff, though she wore jean shorts underneath. "Wait! I know those faces!" Kazuya said, suspiciously, as he motioned for Howard to sort the problem out. "Is there anything you need?" Howard asked them. "Hey, don't you try and mess with us! We know you have Kazuya with you! COME OUT HERE! NOW!" one of the girls yelled. Kazuya, with the Thompson Submachine gun and Swivel gun at the ready, cautiously complied. "What are YOU Doing here?!" Kazuya yelled, annoyed. "Do you not remember us?!"another of the girls asked. "How could I forget? You cost me my first room visit. I know what you did, and I'll never forgive you, Simmons, or Louis El Bridget!" Kazuya yelled. "What's that supposed to mean?!" another girl asked. "Howard?" Kazuya asked. "He's referring to my son. Supposedly, he did depraved things to my daughter. You might know her as "The Untouchable Queen". Howard explained. "Who are you?" one of the girls asked. "I could ask you the same thing." Howard snidely replied. "The one with the jean shorts is Tris Mackenzie, the twin fang, the redhead is Audrey Duval, the Slice and dice maiden, and the ponytail is Aika Takeuchi, known as Intoxicating bondage. "How do you know them?" Howard asked. "Those are the idiots who were harassing me as I was on my way to visit Satella one time. I'll never forget that day. "I don't claim to know who you are, but you clearly have no idea who you're dealing with. I am Howard El Bridget. The surrogate father of Satellizer El Bridget, and the Chief Executive Officer of the El Corporation, and I am not pleased with how you treated my daughter. The nerve of some slatterns. "Slatterns?" Audrey asked, confused. "It's a derogatory 17th century term referring to a sexually promiscuous or an untidy lady. in layman's terms, "Slut"." Kazuya explained, to which Audrey Gasped and yelled "HOW DARE YOU?! You shouldn't have gotten involved, old man!". "You shouldn't have treated Satellizer the way you did. You should count yourselves blessed that her biological father, Nathaniel Allon-Grache is dead. He was more ruthless and egotistical than I could ever be!" Howard snapped. "Kazuya, did you really think you and Mr. Big-shot-Businessman could just slaughter our senior comrades and get away with it?!" Audrey said. "HEY!" Howard yelled before firing his Webley pistol at Audrey, nailing her in the left breast. "I'm warning you!" Audrey yelled, before turning her attention to Kazuya. "Any other day, we'd just kill you and take those fancy-schmancy weapons of yours and leave you to the vultures and the rats, but Simmons says to teach you a lesson and what she says, goes! No questions asked. But at least we're gonna get some exotic souvenirs out of it, eh girls?" Audrey monologued. "Do you even know who you're dealing with?!" Howard yelled. "Don't know, don't care". Audrey Replied. "I'll do YOU one better. I don't care what you say to ME! I am the head of the El Bridget family and I assure you that if any harm comes to me,and/or my daughter, you will bring about the wrath of MI6 on your hands. RAF If you're lucky." Howard replied, flippantly. "What are you talking about?" Tris asked, confused. "MI6. They're basically United Kingdom Special forces and they DO NOT Screw Around. RAF is the British Air force." Kazuya explained. "So he would martyr us, eh?" Aika interjected. "Good luck with that! Get them, Girls!" Audrey replied, condescendingly, as she lunged at Kazuya, only for Howard to Pistol whip her in the head, causing her to collide with Tris. Aika Lashed out her Chained flail at Kazuya,who dodged and countered with a cannonball fired from the swivel gun, and swept his legs in an arc, kicking Tris in the face, to which she answered with a slice to Kazuya's chest with one of her broadswords, before the three Pandoras surrounded Howard and Kazuya. "Back-to-back!" Kazuya said, as he and Howard assumed that position. "Remember. She said not to kill them." Audrey reminded. "Well THAT'S thoughtful of her. Stupid Zip." Kazuya said, sarcastically, in an insulting manner. "You vile racist!" Audrey snapped. "You can stop this bloodshed. You don't have to do this if you don't want to." Howard added. "Oh, we want to, all right." Audrey replied as the 3 pandoras charged, prepared to attack. Kazuya knocked Audrey to the side with one butt-swipe from the Thompson Submachine gun, before pushing Aika's flail back, before getting backhanded by Tris. Howard Shot Tris in the Shoulder, as she charged with her broadswords, which incapacitated her for a moment. As Kazuya rushed at Audrey as she was bearing down on howard, only to be caught off guard by Tris, shortly before Howard kicked her in the back, knocking her out, before Howard was stabbed in the back by Tris, whose broadswords were dipped inside a sleeping agent of some sort, as the 3 pandoras kicked him repeatedly as he futilely crawled away, before being knocked out by a blow from Elegant Glory, the weapon of Attia Simmons who suddenly appeared. "You shouldn't have gotten involved, Howie. Girls. take him away. As for you, if you want to live to see your next birthday, you'll do exactly as we say, or we'll kill you." Attia smugly remarked, as Tris held one of her broadswords to Kazuya's head. "Why are you doing this?" Kazuya asked, only for Attia to swing Elegant Glory at Kazuya, smashing his right cheek, as she shrieked "SILENCE!". "You brought this on yourselves. If you hadn't been treating Satella like a dog, I wouldn't be—" Kazuya replied, only for Attia to swing Elegant Glory at him more violently this time, crashing the spiked part of the weapon into the side of the head, cutting off a piece of his ear. The pain was twice as bad as the first hit; he cried out, clutching his head. "I wouldn't be doing this!" Kazuya finished. "Is your name Kazuya Aoi?!" Attia yelled. "You know who I am!" Kazuya yelled. "I used to. Now I will ask you again: Are you Kazuya Aoi!" Attia said. "Yes! My name is Kazuya Aoi!" Kazuya replied, panicked. Attia nodded then started to back away from him, before she signalled for Audrey to hold the bladed end of her Poleaxe to his chest. "You're coming with us!" Audrey said. "Remember: If you talk back, or if you try anything funny, The blood spills!" Attia yelled. "If you do this….You will only incur the wrath of MI6." Howard faintly and raspily remarked as he was being dragged away. "this isn't some stupid game, old man! I'm going to start counting. Every 5 impertinent remarks he says, we'll break his fingers. Then we'll break his legs, then, when he's too crippled to move, we'll kill him. Sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone, you know." Audrey yelled, under the implication that she would ruin the El Bridget family if he interfered. Aika circled Kazuya, and the pandoras keeping him in check, without saying a word. "I'm sorry, Satella." Kazuya sorrowfully muttered as tears came from his eyes. "ONE!" Audrey yelled. Kazuya didn't take any chances. He walked with the pandoras, ignoring everything, eyes on Attia. He walked until he stood nose to nose with her. She looked serious, and he couldn't risk anything that could result in him being killed. "Fine. Take me. Anything to get out of this crazy place." Kazuya said, disdainfully. "I only made it to one." Attia replied. "I'm brave like that." Kazuya Said. Attia hit Kazuya with Elegant Glory, so hard that he couldn't help but drop to the floor. "Bring the bag." Attia said, motioning to Audrey. Kazuya got to his hands and knees, too scared to do anything out of fear of getting pummelled again. "We're putting him in with the Pommie in the cell. Anyone follows, decimate them. I don't care how you do it, if the blood Is untraceable." Attia instructed. "If you really think I'm giving up, then you must have semen wedged in your frontal lobe. Simply put, you're either psychotic or Brain-dead." Kazuya said, with contempt in his voice. The head of Elegant Glory smashed into Kazuya's face. he collapsed onto his stomach, black stars swimming in the dirt inches from his face. "Anything else you wanna say, smart boy?" Attia said. After a long moment of silence, she said "That's what I thought. Put the bag over him." Hands roughly grabbed his shoulder and spun him onto his back—their grip dug into his chest wound, deep enough to send a deep ache flashing through his upper body. He moaned. Faces—they didn't even look angry—hovered over him as Audrey and Aika put the bag over his head. "Don't resist or you'll just be hurting yourself. Literally." Audrey said, her face drenched with sweat. Kazuya was perplexed. Her eyes and voice held genuine sympathy for him. But her next words couldn't have been more different. "Better just to go along and let us kill you. Doesn't do you any good to have a lot of pain along the way." Attia said. The bag slipped over his head, and all he could see was ugly brown light. They shifted him around on the ground until they got the bag slipped entirely over his body. Then they tied the openend at his feet with a rope, knotting it tight and wrapping its ends up and around the rest of him, pinning him inside the bag, cinching another knot just over his head. Kazuya felt the bag going taut; then his head was pulled up. He imagined girls holding either end of this impossibly long rope. Which could only mean one thing—they were going to drag him. He couldn't take it anymore, started squirming even though he knew what it'd get him. "Please stop doing this to me!" Kazuya cried. A Blow from Elegant Glory hit him in the crotch, making him howl. He tried to double over, tried to clutch his middle but couldn't because of the tight bag. "Since you obviously don't care about yourself, talk again, and we'll slaughter your friends, your family, everyone and everything you hold dear. Including Satellizer." Attia threatened. Kazuya said nothing, only letting out a bawling cry. His infection cured and his wound healed, away from the sight of the kidnapping. "I meant what I said!" Attia yelled in the distance, so loud that Howard should have heard her. "Follow us and the blood spills! Final Warning! We WILL Do it, Pommie!" Attia warned. Kazuya saw her outline as she knelt next to him, heard her knees crunching on the trash cart rails. Then she grabbed him through the material of the bag, put her head against his, her mouth just half an inch from his started whispering, so faintly he had to strain to hear, concentrating to separate her words from the watery ambience below. "Do as I say, and you won't feel a thing." Attia said. Kazuya was so surprised that he had to struggle just to keep his mouth shut. "What're you saying to him?" Audrey said, as she held the rope. "I'm letting him know just how much I'm enjoying this, and how much I'm enjoying my revenge. Do you mind?" Attia replied. Kazuya had never heard such arrogance from a Third year Pandora, let alone any pandora. She was either insane or she was good at seemed to have gained the characteristics of a Jekyll-and-Hyde Character. "We are glad you are enjoying this, but we're burning daylight, here." Tris replied. "I know." Attia replied. he gripped the sides of Kazuya's head even Harder, squeezed and shook it. Then she pressed her mouth against the rough material, pushing on his ear. When she spoke, again with that hot whisper, he could feel her hot breath through the weave of the burlap. "Don't worry. We're almost there." Attia said. The words numbed Kazuya's Brain. She released him and stood back up. "Okay, let's get out of here. Make sure you hit as many bricks as you can along the way." Attia instructed. His captors started walking, dragging him along behind them. He felt the rough ground below him as he was dragged across it, the big sack providing absolutely no protection. It hurt. He arched his back, putting all his weight on his feet, letting his shoes bear the blunt of the impacts. But he knew his strength couldn't hold out forever. Kazuya walked right beside him as they pulled his body along. He could just make her out through the burlap. Then Howard started protesting from below. His voice had already started to fade. he sounds of being dragged against the rusted Tracks making it that much harder to hear. What he did head was the words "Sending for help", "won't believe" and "Who it is." Attia slammed her fist into Kazuya's nose, shutting Howard up. Continuously through the dark rusted tracks they went, Kazuya bouncing over the floor like a sack of Hand-me-downs. Kazuya imagined horrible things as they went along. His legs were weakening every second, and he knew he'd have to lower his body to the ground soon. He pictured the bleeding wounds, the permanent scars. But maybe it wouldn't matter. They planned on killing him anyway. had said to trust her. And even though he had a hard time doing it, he was trying to believe her. His mind turned it all over in circles until he couldn't concentrate anymore. His body was being rubbed raw, and he knew he needed to figure out how to prevent every inch of skin from being scratched off. The smoth floorboards saved him. When they started going up yet another steep stairway, it obviously became difficult for the girls to drag his body the way they'd done across flat ground. They tried pulling him in quick jerks—slipping and letting him slide several feet back down, then hauling him back up only to let him slip again. Attia finally said it'd probably be easier to carry him by the shoulders and ankles. And that they should do it in shifts. An idea hit Kazuya like a ton of bricks. "OR you could just let me walk! You have weapons, what am I gonna do?" Kazuya yelled through the bag, to which Attia kicked him to the side and yelled "what kind of idiots do you think we are?! We're waiting until we're the only ones here!". He'd done his best to stifle his groan when her foot crashed into his rib cage. "Huh? Why?" Kazuya asked, confused. "Because we have to defend the Academy's order. Now Shut up!" Audrey interjected. "Why did you tell him that?" Attia whispered, harshly. "Doesn't matter. He's going to die anyway. Who cares?" Audrey replied. "Well, I can hardly see anyone in the distance now. Once we reach that crevice up there, we'll be out of sight, and we'll never get caught. Even if someone does follow us." Tris commented. "Very well, then. Let's just get him that far." Attia facepalmed and replied "Very well, then. Let's just get him that far.". Hands were soon gripping Kazuya on all sides. lifting him into the air. From what he could see through the sack, Attia, Audrey, Tris, and Aika were roughly carrying him. They picked their way through bricks and around decaying support beams, going up and up and up. He heard their heavy breaths, smelled their sweat, hated them more with each jolting step. Even Attia. The trudge down the stairwell lasted for over 1 hour, with stops here and there for girls to switch off carrying duties—and it had been at least twice that long since they'd left the Carnival arena. The distance underground was getting to a point of becoming dangerous, but then they rounded a massive wall, the floor levelling a bit. The cool air was a relief. "All right. Drop him." Attia ordered. Without question, they did what she said, and he slammed into the rustic surface with a heavy grunt. It knocked the wind out of him, and he lay there gasping for air as they started untying the ropes. By the time he caught his breath, the bag had been taken off. He blinked, looking up at Attia and her bodyguards. Before long, all their weapons were drawn on him. From somewhere he found a trace of courage. "You guys must think a lot of me. 4 of you with volt weapons, me with antiques from days of old. I feel SO special." Kazuya remarked, condescendingly. Attia reared back with Elegant Glory, only for Kazuya to halt her movement. "WAIT!" Kazuya cried, and she stopped. He held his hands up in deference, and slowly got to his feet. "Look, I'm just not gonna try anything. Just take me wherever we're going and then I'll let you kill me like a good slave. I don't have a goddamn thing to live for anyway." Kazuya said spitefully as he looked Attia right in the eyes. He still held on to a little hope that somehow this would end up making sense, but either way, after how he'd been treated, he wasn't in such a hot mood. "Come on, I'm sick of this. Let's keep going so we can get some rest. Tonight, we'll keep going." Attia said. "But what about the limiter we've been hauling around for the past few hours?" Audrey said, impatiently. "Don't worry, we'll punish him. He broke the rules. This is his punishment for going to such extreme lengths to "Protect" the so-called "Untouchable Queen"." Attia replied. His mind went numb with every step they took, apparently planning to imprison him with Howard El Bridget. A Steady descension down a stairwell, the effort burning his legs. The ceiling above shaded them further as they continued, but everything was still rust-colored and pitch black, hot, dry, and dusty. Attia squeezed her exposed nipple, to give him a few drops of milk, but he was almost certain, that each drop evaporated before it even reached his mouth. They reached a large indentation in the east wall just as the lights came on just ahead. a golden ball of fire bent on burning them to ashes the hall went 40 feet deeper. Along the way, Kazuya learned a few things. A secret lay in the shadows, the Chevalier Headquarters building was much more massive than previously shown before him. Though he couldn't tell for certain, he guessed that those two had somehow found out what he had done to Kannazuki Miyabi several levels above. "Tie him to the post." Attia instructed, pointing to a support beam, as the girls subserviently did so. "And we might as well feed him, so he doesn't moan and groan all day and keep us awake." Attia continued. "She's going a bit too far, isn't she?" Kazuya thought. There was no denying what now seemed obvious. Kazuya Hated her. And he hated everyone else who wronged Satellizer El Bridget. He didn't fight as they tied his torso to the trunk, leaving his hands free. Once they had him good and secure they gave him a few granola bars and a bottle of water. No one spoke to him or met his gaze. And strangely, if he wasn't mistaken, he noticed that everyone looked a little guilty. He started eating, and as he did he carefully took in everything around him. His thoughts wandered all over the place as the rest of them began settling in to sleep out the remaining 3 hours left in the day. He was tied to a post and his weapons jammed from the bumps in the ground. Sighing, he finished up his food and felt a little better physically. And though he didn't quite know how everything added up, he had a new confidence that he was closer to understanding. And that he couldn't quit. Audrey, Aika, Tris, and Attia were sneaking looks at him as they slept. He saw it as an opportunity to fight for his life with words. "You guys really wanna kill me, don't you?" He asked it in a tone that said he was insulting them "Have you ever even killed anyone before?" Attia gave him a harsh stare. stopping just before she laid her head down on the ground. Based on what we were told, you were trying to go see your partner for your first room visit. I think knocking off one little insignificant teenage boy won't be too tough.". Audrey said, condescendingly. "Think of the guilt you'll feel." He could only hope the thought would dig at them. "We'll get over it." She stuck her tongue out at him—stuck her tongue out! — then put her head down and closed her eyes. Aika sat cross-legged, looking as far from sleep as humanly possible. "We lost to Satellizer. We need to uphold the Academy rules." she explained. "I understand. Sacrifice me to save yourselves. Very noble." Kazuya said, sarcastically, as he shrugged his shoulders. She stared at him for a long time; he had to fight not to drop his gaze. She finally looked away and lay down with her back to him. Attia walked over, her face filled with annoyance. "What are you talking about?!" Attia yelled. "Nothing. Quiet him down, will ya?" Aika replied, nonchalantly. "Shut up!" Attia said, looking Kazuya in the eyes, only for Kazuya to laugh sarcastically, and mockingly yell "What're you gonna do? Kill me if I don't?", only for her to ignore him. "Why do you hate me suddenly? What did I do to you?" he asked. Tris, Audrey and Aika turned to listen, looking between Kazuya and Attia. "You know FULL WELL what. so does everyone here—I told them all about it. But If you just did yourself a favor and stuck with that Tibetan girl, and left us to punish Satellizer, none of this would've happened. I'm sorry but you left us no choice. Sorry. Life's not fair." Attia replied, insultingly. "What do you mean, I left you no choice?! I was just trying to protect her. Why do you think I was keeping this from her all this time?!" Kazuya yelled, angrily. "Fat lot of good THAT did you." Attia replied as she turned away. "So what'd I do to you? "Sorry, I'm kind of havin' a memory lapse—ya know, we have those a lot around here. Remind me." Kazuya asked She twisted back around and glared at him with fiery eyes. "Don't you DARE play dumb with me, asshole! Now keep quiet or I'll bruise that face of yours again!" Attia sharply yelled as she stomped away, and Kazuya finally kept quiet. He shifted until he was somewhat comfortable, his head leaning back on the decaying bricks on the support pillar. His fate seemed sealed, but he was extremely determined to figure it out and escape. Eventually he slept. He slept fitfully for a few hours, tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable position on the hard support beam before he finally fell into a deep slumber. When he woke up, Aika, Audrey, and Tris were standing just a few feet from him, staring strangely at him. "What do you want?" Kazuya said, annoyed. "To know why you care about Satellzier El Bridget so much." Aika replied. "Why should I listen to you?" Kazuya asked. "It seems you have no choice. But If you tell us why you're defending her, we may be able to accommodate you." Audrey replied. This response left Kazuya to ponder for a moment. "forget how to talk?" Audrey asked. "No. Are you having second thoughts?" Kazuya asked. "Well, we do have our doubts, but I wouldn't get my hopes up to high. Your chances are still slim. "the smartest thing to do would be to just do as Attia says. You're outnumbered. If you were doing this, what would you do?" Tris asked. "I would choose the option of not killing myself." Kazuya replied. "Don't be a jerk. This isn't funny. If you could choose, and the two options were you die or all of us die, which one would you pick? This is all about you or us." Her face showed she was very serious, and the question hit Kazuya like a hammer to his head. Her face showed she was very serious, and the question hit Thomas like a thump to his chest. She was right, on some level. If that really would happen—they'd all die if they didn't get rid of him—then how could he expect them not to do it? "Well?" Audrey pushed. "I'm thinking." He paused, wiped some sweat off his forehead. "Okay, I'm being honest here. I promise. If I were in your shoes, I'd choose not to kill me." Kazuya replied, firmly. "Humph. Easy for you to say, since it's YOUR life on the line." Aika replied. "It's not just that. She was raped repeatedly by her older brother, Louis. It traumatized her to the point of gaining an unwavering fear of being sexually assaulted. I don't expect you to understand. But she was 10 years old when she was first raped. I was in that same spot once. I was 7 when I was raped by the first pandora in existence. I was too young for that sort of thing. Aika, Audrey, and Tris exchanged a long look. Audrey finally nodded. "All right. You've piqued my interest. I'll hear you out. But I can't promise you that Attia won't just kill you anyway." Audrey replied. "All right, then. I'd better sum it up before Attia comes back." Kazuya said, wondering if he had a chance of escape. "Here's the deal. You talk first, then we will." Tris proposed. "All right. All I know is what I learned from Howard El Bridget. It seems we both have the same thing in common. But as I grew older, things had changed for the better. And I'm not sure how much you know about Chevalier, but I used to work there as a Junior scientist." Kazuya explained before Audrey interjected "Not much.". This encouraged Kazuya, as he felt that he had an advantage and that the 3 pandoras that took their frustration on him earlier had made a mistake from the beginning. "Well, I've learned a lot about them. All of us are special in some way. There's a secret hiding in the shadows. Not much makes sense so far, I don't understand all of it, not even close, but I think this whole thing about killing me is just a bad Idea." Kazuya finished. "In other words, you want us to spare you because of this admittedly horrific deduction." Audrey assumed. "Don't you see? Killing me has no point. Killing me will not solve anything. Dead men tell no tales, as the old saying goes. think about it this way: How are you showing any strength by killing me? I'm way outnumbered and you have all these weapons. How does that prove who's stronger?" Kazuya explained, choosing his words carefully. "Then what does it have to do with?" asked Attia's limiter counterpart, Mark Anthony, who suddenly appeared. "I think it's a test to see If you would focus on the Nova and make rational decisions, or continue this blinkered, outmoded pursuit of yours. Killing me makes no sense, does no one any good. You've proven any power you needed to by capturing me. Show them you won't blindly take it all the way." Kazuya replied. "Interesting speech. sounds a lot like something a person who's desperate not to die would say, anyway." Aika commented. "Actually, I feel like it's the truth. If you kill me, you kill the only Limiter who can cast a certain unique form of Freezing. "Yeah, I bet you think that. To be honest, we have similar beliefs, but we just wanted to hear what you had to say. We'll speak more when Attia gets back, which should be any minute now." Audrey replied as she stood up. Kazuya hyperventilated, worried that Attia would not be swayed. "No! I feel that she's the one who's most Gung-Ho about torturing me like this! I think you should make the decision." Kazuya nervously replied. "Calm down. If we decide not to kill you, there's nothing she can freaking do about it. We'll think of something." Kazuya tried not to show his relief. He might have appealed to their pride a little bit, but he tried not to let his hopes get too high. The darkness grew deeper and deeper, and Attia finally returned from the direction they'd come in, earlier that day. She noticed right away that something was different, probably by the way everyone kept looking between her and Kazuya. Aika stared nervously at Attia. "What?" she asked, confused. "We have to talk." Aika replied as she stood up. Attia looked confused but went to the far side of the recess in the cliff with the rest of the group. Furious whispers immediately filled the air, but Kazuya couldn't make out a word anybody said. His stomach clenched in anticipation of the verdict. From where he stood, he could see that the conversation had started to get passionate, and Attia looked as angry as anyone. He watched her expression intensify as she tried to make some point. It seemed like it was her against the rest of them, which made Kazuya very nervous. Finally, just as there was light at the end of the tunnel, Attia turned and stomped away from the rest of the Pandoras, her Volt Weapon deactivated. Kazuya watched her go until she disappeared between the narrow walls of the dark corridors. He glanced at the remaining Pandoras, who looked relieved, as Audrey walked over, untying Kazuya from the Support column. "Well, what did you decide?" Kazuya asked, nervously. Audrey didn't answer until she'd completely freed him; then she sat back on her heels and looked at him, her Eyes aimed at his face. "It's your lucky day. We decided not to kill your sorry ass after all. It can't be a coincidence that we've all been thinking the same things deep down." Audrey replied. Kazuya was relieved by this answer. In that moment he realized that he'd known that was what they would decide all along. "But remember this. Attia hates you. I'd watch my back around her if I were you." Tris added. Kazuya let Audrey pull him up, as he felt an uncomfortable sensation inside his stomach. "You should probably go to the academy. Don't worry. I'll be back As soon as possible." Kazuya replied. "Good luck." Audrey replied as she, Tris and Aika left him. "KAZUYA!" a furious voice screeched, startling him. He turned to notice Attia Simmons with Mark Anthony standing right in front of him. "it would be easier on everyone if you just followed us." Attia said. Kazuya thought for 2 hard seconds before complying. As they walked in silence, Kazuya finally mustered the courage to speak. "Where are we going? Why didn't you stop when everybody else agreed not to kill me?"" Kazuya asked. "You've met Mark Anthony, yes?" Attia replied. "I know he's your limiter, but what does that have to do with anything?" Kazuya asked in confusion. "All you do is lie. Why are you lying?!" Kazuya yelled. "Oh, come now! How could you possibly be so stupid? After all that's happened to you, how could anything surprise you anymore? Everything about us was part of our personal principles. Now we're going to do what we were going to do, and life goes on. That's it." Attia replied. "What do you mean?" Kazuya replied. "Mark is right behind you and he has a very large knife. Try anything and he'll slice your neck. You're coming with us and you're gonna do exactly what we tell you. Understand?" Attia yelled. Kazuya stared at her, hoping the rage he felt inside showed clearly on his face. He'd never felt so angry in his life. "Come on. We're almost there." Attia said. "Where exactly are we going?" Kazuya asked, suspiciously. "You'll see soon enough." Attia replied, evasively. They reached a dark tunnel, with a mess of broken bricks as its entrance. As they entered, Mark circled around to face Kazuya with his knife pointed at his neck like a gun. "Well, here we are." Attia said. ""Yep, we're here, all right. You're serious about him talking the others into sparing him? What is he, a super-psychologist?" Mark Replied. "Actually, it made it easier. It seems my own comrades are going soft. We're going to have to do this ourselves." Attia replied as she threw a condescending glance toward Kazuya, then kissed Mark Hard on the lips. "I'm so glad we're together." Attia said, passionately. Mark gave Kazuya a look of warning. "let's get this over with" Kazuya responded, as he followed them. When they didn't answer, he couldn't help but peek. They were whispering to each other, stealing kisses between words. Something like burning oil filled his stomach. He looked away again, focusing on the odd source of light in the back of the tunnel. "If it makes you feel any better, you have my sympathy. Being molested by a family member is indeed a depraved thought. However, Satellizer Broke the code." This remark finally made Kazuya crack. "I…DON'T…CARE! Are you trying to come up with all the ways possible in the universe to hurt me? Just shut your fucking mouth and do whatever it is you brought me here to do!" Kazuya yelled His chest heaved with angry breaths, his heart thumping a deadly pace. "Fine. Mark, open the door. Time for Kazuya to go." she replied. "Yes, milady." Mark replied as he forced Kazuya inside the room. Mark followed after. Kazuya was done talking, to either of them. But he certainly wasn't going down without a fight. He resolved to wait and watch for the best opportunity. Mark kept his knife pointed at him as Attia made her way toward the big rectangle of dark, dismal blackness. Kazuya could not deny his curiosity of what was behind the door. She reached a point where she was barely visible due to the darkness. It made her edges fuzzy, as if she were dissolving. She walked across the tunnel then reached for the cement wall started punching a finger on what had to be some sort of keypad that Kazuya could not see. She finished up and stepped back toward him. "We'll see if that actually works." Mark commented. "It will. Trust me." Attia replied. A loud pop sounded, followed by a sharp hiss. Kazuya watched as the door swung open with a loud slam. As it opened, wispy streams of white mist swirled through the widening crack, almost immediatelyevaporating into nothing. It was like a long-abandoned freezer releasing its cold air into the heat of the night. Darkness lurked inside even as the rectangle of glass continued to emit its strange green radiance. It was a door! "It's just a door. Maybe it won't be so bad." Kazuya thought. The door finally stopped, thumping with an icy screech against the wall of deteriorating cement. A pit of black now lay where the door had once been—there wasn't enough light to reveal what lay inside. The mist had completely stopped as well. Thomas felt an abyss of anxiety open beneath him. "Do you have a light?" Mark asked. Attia deactivated her volt weapon and dug through her pockets, and eventually found a flashlight, turning it on, before reactivating Elegant Glory. ""Take a look while I watch him. Don't try anything, Boy! I am almost certain that what Chevalier has in store for you is 100 times worse than getting stabbed to death." Attia said, in a warning tone. Kazuya didn't answer, keeping his pathetic oath to stay silent from here on out. He thought about the knife and whether he could take it from Mark. Attia had stepped up right to the side of the gaping rectangular hole; she shone her flashlight inside. Swept it up and down, left to right. It cut through a fine cloud of mist as she did so, but the dwindling moisture was thin enough to reveal the interior. It was a small room, only several feet deep. Attia turned to Mark, flicking off the flashlight as she did so. "Looks about right, exactly like they said it would be." she said. Mark snapped his head back to look at Kazuya who was focused on the ominously intimidating door ahead of him, so much so, that he missed yet another opportunity to do something. Mark held the knife more firmly as he said "This is it. Kazuya be a good boy and go inside. Who knows? Maybe it won't be so bad. You just might go free if you play your cards right." Mark said. "That's enough, Mark!" Attia yelled. It was the first thing she'd said in quite some time that didn't make Kazuya want to punch her. She then turned her attention to Kazuya and said, "let's get this over with.". Mark gestured to Kazuya that he should move forward. "Come on. Don't make me drag you." Mark said, warningly. Kazuya looked at him, struggling to keep a blank expression as his mind spun in a million directions. A surge of panic boiled inside him. It was now or never. Fight or die. He turned his gaze to the open doorway and started slowly walking toward it. Three steps and he'd halved the distance. Attia had entered a defensive stance in case Kazuya caused trouble. Mark kept his knife trained on Kazuya's neck, as he was one step closer to certain doom. Mark stood directly to his left. Attia was directly behind him. The makeshift bunker within the door lay directly ahead. Kazuya stopped and said to Mark. "What was it like, your first room visit?" Kazuya said, in a last-ditch attempt to throw him off. Mark replied with a surprised grunt. This gave Kazuya the split second he needed to retaliate. He jumped toward the other boy and swung his left arm in an arc to smack the knife out of his hand. It clattered across the floor and into the abyss. Kazuya slammed his right fist into Mark's stomach, causing him to collapse to the ground, convulsing as he struggled to breathe. The sound of metallic rattling stopped him from kicking him in the ribcage. Attia had rushed to intervene. They locked eyes for an instant; then she charged him. Kazuya prepared to cast afreezing field, but he was too late. The head of Elegant Glory swung through the air and smacked him on the side of the head. Stars floated before his eyes as he fell, fighting to stay conscious. As soon as he hit the ground, he scrambled to his hands and knees to get away. But he heard Attia screeching in frustration. He felt the handle of Elegant glory being smashed into his skull. Kazuya collapsed again, as blood oozed from his forehead. Pain tore through his head, as if an axe had been driven straight into his brain. It spread to the rest of his body, making him nauseated. He somehow pushed off the ground and flopped onto his back to see Attia with Elegant Glory raised above her, ready to attack. "Get in the room, Kazuya. Get in the room or I'll hit you again! I swear I'll keep doing it till you pass out or bleed to death." Attia yelled, as Mark recovered and went to join her. "Go stuff it, Simmons!" Kazuya yelled, as he reared his legs back and kicked both legs out, connecting both feet with Mark and Attia. They screamed and crumpled, falling on top of each other. The physical effort sent a horrible rush of pain raging through Kazuya. White flashes blinded him; the world was spinning. He groaned as he struggled to move, got back on his stomach, tried to get his hands under himself. He'd barely pushed a few inches off the ground, when Mark landed on his back. "YOU ARE GOING IN THAT ROOM WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! Milady, Help me!" Mark roared. Kazuya couldn't find any strength to fight them off. The double blow to his head had somehow sapped him of everything, as if all his muscles had gone dormant because his brain didn't have enough energy to tell them what to do. Soon Attia grabbed both of his arms and started dragging him toward the open doorway, Mark prodding him. Kazuya kicked feebly as the ground dug into the fabric of his shoes. "Don't do this," he whispered, giving in to desperation. Every word sent a surge of pain across his nerves. "Please …" All he saw now were flashes of white on black. A concussion, he realized. He had a terrible, terrible concussion. He was barely aware of his body crossing the threshold, of Attia resting his arms against the cold, hard ground, stepping over him, helping Mark flip his legs up and over so that he now lay in a heap, facing the side. Kazuya slowly lost consciousness, to the point of losing the strength of even looking at them. "Satella. Help me." He said, though it was only a whisper. His seemingly last moments were remembering the brawl in the West Genetics Gymnasium. He remembered when Satellizer was overpowered by Arnett McMillan and Creo Brand, critically injuring her. An odd time to think it, but now he knew how Satellizer felt back then. "Please…." Kazuya faintly whispered. it was so quiet he couldn't imagine they heard him. He ached from head to toe. "You're infuriatingly stubborn! You Had to make it harder on yourself! On All of us!" He heard Attia admonish. "Satella…" Kazuya faintly whispered. "I'm sorry. But thanks for submitting to the punishment." Attia replied, somehow hearing him. "I'm sorry. But I have free will of my own while milady is around." Mark added before leaving. Kazuya's eyes closed shut. 12 hours passed. Kazuya soon awakened inside a makeshift cell inside the bunker, with Howard next to him. He heard a masculine voice humming the notes to "Hush Hush Hush, Here comes the boogeyman". "Wait a minute. I know that song." Kazuya said, suspiciously. "We all know that song. Now why are you here?" Mark asked. "I was invited by a Dr. Gengo Aoi…and now I can't leave." Kazuya sorrowfully said. "Well, then you know more than we do. One minute, we don't even know this place exists...just a cryptic clue…the next minute, someone finds out." Mark monologued. "Are you going to let us out of here?" Kazuya asked. "in the genetics academies, Troublemakers are very bad things. How do I know we can trust you? I Don't even know who you are." Mark replied. "My name is Kazuya. I used to work here." Kazuya replied. "I…honestly don't know why I'm doing this. They call me a "Limiter"…but I'm more braver than that. You go back and rest. We'll talk again later." Mark replied before leaving. Kazuya found a tape recorder next to the bunk, so he waited until he was alone. "What are you doing?" Howard asked. "Sending a distress message." Kazuya replied as he activated the tape recorder. "To anyone who gets this, my name is Kazuya Aoi. And I am trapped 12 levels below Chevalier Corporate Headquarters, of which I used to be a Junior Scientist. There's crazy things after me down here. Zombies, Prototypes, Overzealous Third year students…and Right now, 2 of the latter are holding me prisoner. I don't know how to get out of here, but there's a secret hiding in the shadows. There's something at work here. I just feel like I'm being watched. If anyone finds this, you must not—" Kazuya said, talking into the microphone as the blast door to the cell opened. "Hold on…they're coming back." Kazuya finished, before turning off the recorder. "I thought you might be hungry. Sorry. It's all we have in here." Mark said, holding out a bowl of Ramen. Attia approached the cell and placed her hand on the bowl, waiting for Mark to leave, seconds before knocking it off the counter, breaking it. Before placing to of her fingers next to her eyes, and then motioning to Kazuya as if she were saying "I've got my eye on you.". Kazuya went back to sleep as she left the room. "It's only for a few hours. I won't go far. It's only up to level 6. You stay here and Keep an eye on Kazuya. I'll go scout ahead. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise." Mark said as he left the room. Attia nodded in agreement as she sat in a chair and cracked her knuckles in a threatening manner, staring at Kazuya, who looked away, and passed the time as best he could, at some points by reading, and sometimes by sleeping. At one point, 12 hours later, he overheard an argument between Attia and Mark. That was Really Stupid, Mark! You shouldn't have gone out there on your own! Now that he's seen you, It's only a Matter of time…before that…THING, finds us here!" Attia admonished. "Have you ever thought to wonder if Kazuya isn't that bad, Milady?" Mark asked. "oh, Come ON! He's Satellizer El Bridget's Partner! As Far as I'm concerned, anyone who sympathizes with her is, by definition, a Troublemaker!" Attia yelled. As they argued, Kazuya went to the recorder and spoke into the microphone. "It's me. It's Kazuya. It's Been awhile since I last recorded. I've mostly been spending my hours Reading and passing the time as best I can. I saw my Captors Arguing today. It seems they still don't know what to make of me. I guess that makes sense, because I don't know what to think of them either. Times like this, I wish Kazuha was still with me. She didn't say much when I found her here, but she would have made a good partner. I miss her. I just couldn't save her. But I promise: I will get out of this Laboratory. If it's the last thing I do." Kazuya recited, before turning the recorder off, seconds before looking to notice, that Attia was staring At Kazuya, and Cracking her knuckles the entire time. Kazuya acted nonchalant to the best of his ability, turning his attention to the book he was reading earlier. 12 hours later, Kazuya awoke to watch Mark writing on the walls. "I know you're staring at me. It's just…a little creepy." Mark commented, staring at Kazuya. "So, YOU'RE the one who's been writing on the walls!" Kazuya replied. "We all did. For some people down here, it's just the only way they can be heard. But you do not want to touch the raw stigma for too long. It can go to your head if you're not careful. That's how I met Milady. I was poking around restricted areas and messing with things I shouldn't have and she…She was there." Mark replied. "Why did she pick you?" Kazuya asked. "She just selected me out of hundreds of limiters." Mark replied. "Well, I don't think she's very fond of me. Mark. Please let me out of here." Kazuya said, in a disappointed tone. "Milady thinks you're dangerous." Mark replied. "Well, What do YOU think?" Kazuya asked. "I think…you're the answer to my prayers. Go to sleep. Maybe tomorrow will be better." Mark replied as he left the room. Kazuya turned on the recorder and spoke into the microphone. "This may be my last chance to record a message. I'm pretty sure she saw me talking into this thing. She probably won't let me keep it. There's not really much left to say, except…Satella…I Miss you, and I love you so much. Coming back to this old place, well…it kind of reminds me of how much I lost since my sister's death. I feel like there's so many questions left unanswered. So many things that don't make sense. To the person playing this tape, I Cannot stress this enough: If you get out, do not, I repeat: DO NOT ever come back. Because the first Nova Prototype will find you." Kazuya said, under the implication that when he finally leaves, he will never come back, before turning the recorder off. Kazuya then went to sleep. 24 hours passed before He heard an ominous heartbeat, noise coupled with an ominous sound resembling a machine humming. He also had woken up to hear Attia and Mark debating on whether Kazuya should be set free or not. "We Can't just leave him here! Not with that monster outside our door!" Mark begged. "NO!" Attia yelled, firmly. "What's going on?" Kazuya asked. "She's coming! We have to move on!" Mark explained, before a loud, metallic clanging sound was heard. "Milady, we have to let him out!" Mark screamed, in a mixture of anger and grief, as he feebly pulled against the wooden boards comprising the cell door, only for Attia to get in his face and shake her head. "I'm sorry." Mark cried, as he and Attia left. "Oh, stop it, you stupid crybaby!" Attia fussed. Kazuya looked around and found inside the tank within the toilet in the bathroom, a loose piece of piping, which he used as an improvised Bludgeoning tool, to destroy the boards, allowing him to leave. Kazuya, noticing the Aquarium next to the nearby bunk, looked and briefly thought "Huh. Who knew Grandpa was an Animal lover?", before leaving the room to find himself in a cavernous hallway, with stalagmites covering some of the floorboards. Kazuya took a swing at several Pandora Zombies as he went through the caverns, some floors of which were covered with granite. Crossing a flooded infirmary-like area, he found himself on a dock-like area, with wooden floorboards and a makeshift Barge sitting on a ramp of some sort. Kazuya pulled a nearby lever launching the barge into the oddly placed water, which has somehow seeped inside due to structural deterioration, as well as the lab being a mostly underground facility. "Just how deep does this crazy place get?" Kazuya asked himself, as he climbed aboard and pressed the power button, before pushing the throttle, causing the Barge to thrust forward, the paddlewheel spinning with every second. Minutes went by before the barge suddenly stopped. "Sounds like something's stuck in the paddlewheel." Kazuya muttered, as he turned towards the paddlewheel and used his piece of piping to swipe away the stray bits of coral that got stuck in the paddlewheel, allowing him to continue. Seconds later, he noticed a second Barge in a wide area filled with water, before a gargantuan Megalodon chewed its way through the docked barge, before turning its attention towards Kazuya, who throttled the barge through the western tunnel, trying to escape the megalodon, clearing the paddlewheel whenever the Barge stopped. He passed through an s-shaped tunnel, as the Megalodon started to gain on the barge. Kazuya suddenly found dry land at the end of the tunnel. The Megalodon unrelentingly Closed in. Kazuya's mind racing, he attempted to find a way to bring it down. He noticed a barrel marked "Danger: Explosives", and several oxygen tanks nearby. Kazuya, taking note of the 19th century harpoon gun, He strapped the barrel around a spear and launched it at the megalodon's eye, causing him to charge faster. Kazuya strapped an oxygen tank to another harpoon and launched it into his mouth. Kazuya launched the last harpoon in the area at the explosives barrel, finishing the Megalodon once and for all, leaving naught but its charred corpse. Kazuya harvested the Megalodon carcass and dragged it through a net. Kazuya found himself in a harbor-like area with several makeshift buildings. At the center of it was a boarded up observatory. As Kazuya approached, the boards suddenly broke apart, and a familiar figure knocked him back. It was Daisuke Ibuki, who had somehow survived his encounter with Maria Lancelot much earlier. "Betrayed! ABANDONED! I Trusted Her! She gave me everything! And SHE LEFT ME TO ROT! WHY?! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!" Ibuki Screeched as he erratically dashed forward, brandishing a fireman's axe with extremely sharp spikes at the end of its head. Kazuya Used his pipe piece to defend himself against the psychotic former limiter. Ibuki swung his axe back and forth with frightening speed. Kazuya swung at Ibuki , causing him to reel in pain. "I'm going to chop that smile right off your face!" Ibuki yelled as he raised his axe and swung it at Kazuya, who launched a cannonball at him with the swivel gun, before butt-whipping him in the face with the barrel of the Thompson submachine gun. "Come here and PUT YOUR FACE IN MY AXE!" Ibuki screeched as he charged at Kazuya. Weapons swung, blows inflicted, the fight raged on continuously. Kazuya Got on all fours and swept his feet at Ibuki, knocking him on his feet, allowing him to swing his pipe into his chest, only for Daisuke Ibuki to Kick Kazuya in the chest, knocking him back, causing him to lose the pipe. "She Lied! SHE ALWAYS LIES!" Ibuki yelled. Kazuya pelted Ibuki with a barrage of White-hot lead from the Thompson submachine gun, only for him to survive due to his genetically modified physiology. "She Said She would save me! She Said she loved me! Now I have nothing! NOTHING!" Ibuki shrieked as he Swung his axe at Kazuya, only to miss and land it into a plank of wood. Kazuya Launched a Cannonball from the swivel gun at him, knocking him back. "Milady! MOTHER LANCELOT! WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?!" Ibuki shrieked, as he tossed his Axe at Kazuya, only for him to catch it and toss it back, causing it to land between his legs. "No! Stay away from me! STAY BACK!" Ibuki yelled, defeatedly, as he ran away, with his hands on his crotch. Kazuya approached him, only to be grabbed by the neck by Daisuke. "HA! You lied to me! She said I'd be free!" Ibuki shrieked, throwing Kazuya to the ground. "Well, I'm going to free you now! Free your head from your shoulders! For I was blind…but now I…SEE!" Ibuki continued, raising his axe above him, preparing to behead Kazuya, only to be run through the forehead by the blade of a longsword. "Forgive them father…for they know not what they do" were his final words, as he slumped to the side, finally Killing the Religiously overzealous Limiter known as Daisuke Ibuki once and for all. Kazuya looked to notice the longsword being retrieved. Holly Rose had come to the Aid of Kazuya and Howard, the former of the 2 pulling Kazuya back on his feet. "That was cutting it close." Howard said. "You should count yourself blessed we were even here, or you would be dead." Holly added. "How did you find me?" Kazuya asked. "Howard contacted me when you were captured. I came as quickly as I could." Holly replied. "How do you know about this place?" Kazuya asked. "I have something to show you. Whilst I was exploring one of the upper levels, I noticed a hidden message written in lemon juice. Using my body heat, I managed to decode it, and I found a hidden message. Hiding in plain sight. So I continued searching, and found more and more of these messages hidden in this laboratory, but they're invisible to the naked eye. Only if you apply heat, can you actually see them, given that they are written in lemon juice. I have a photo here." Holly said, holding out a photo of the message, reading "We are being cheated and deceived". "I know not who is leaving them behind. However, I do know that they may know the path to the exit." Holly continued. "Where does it all lead to?" Kazuya asked. "Nowhere. I followed them for quite some time. I have been travelling in circles. I do not believe We CAN exit. although there is a chance I am Mistaken." Holly replied, pessimistically, seconds before the ground started to shake. "Was that "Her"?" Kazuya asked. "I do not believe so. According to my sources, this village was built by the zombified survivors. The Religious fanatic must have been holding them back, but now that he is dead—" Holly replied only to hear the ground shake once more. "Looks like we're in for a fight. Weapons out!" Kazuya said. "Look out! Here they come!" Holly yelled as several Pandora Zombies appeared. "I feel so Alive!" Howard yelled, excitedly. Kazuya with Dr. Gengo Aoi's M1928 Thompson Submachine Gun/1825 Swivel Gun Combo, Howard with His Custom Webley VI Service Revolver, and Holly with her Longsword, showed no mercy, dealing with the zombies. "Go back to your tunnels!" Holly Yelled, as she Sliced 3 Zombies at once with her Longsword, seconds before another wave appeared. "I've never seen this many before!" Kazuya said, as they continued fighting. Kazuya Mowed down several Pandora Zombies with the Thompson submachine gun. "Stay away from me!" Howard yelled as he Nailed several Zombie Pandoras in the head with his pistol. "We can do this! Keep fighting!" Kazuya yelled as they all battled against all odds. Shots fired, swords slashed. Several Zombies died. Several more appeared, one wave after the other. It must have been 16 waves until the zombies started to weaken. As the last zombie was killed, everything started to settle. "I believe that is the last of them. But it is impossible to predict where they may appear next. I believe it may be best that we stay together from this moment forward. Lead the way, Kazuya." Holly said. Kazuya nodded as he noticed ahead of them, a decrepit hallway, with little foothold. Kazuya carefully stepped across, and found a fork in the path, with a decommissioned repository machine right in front of him. He looked left and turned to find a dead end. He then turned the other way and there was nothing on the other side. Kazuya went back towards the hallway entrance only to fall through the floor. "KAZUYA!" Everyone else shrieks in unison. Kazuya soon found himself in the Administrations floor. He made his way into the lobby, and found a door leading to an industrial work area with a system of pipes, with 3 pieces missing. "Hmmm….that's interesting." Kazuya commented, as he wandered into a nearby office with a recorder with the Voice of Louis El Bridget: "Progress report to El Corporation Flagship Headquarters. Client: Chevalier Corporation. Although We're making progress, the Client's expectations keep changing. What started as a contraption for the purpose of creating artificial human fighters to combat the extradimensional aliens called "Nova", now seems to be teetering on the edge of Magic and Misogyny more than science, even though Dr. Aoi remains convinced that Science and Magic are one and the same. The Process of running the archive photos through the machine for the fighters to imprint upon themselves is going well. We've had several near-successes. One Weird note: the first fighter that ever emerged was a botched attempt in the likeness of my older Half-sister, Satellizer. No other attempts at this particular individual have emerged since that time, but the one that did…I'm not sure. There's just something a touch surreal about her". The recording said before deactivating. "So that's what that thing with the misshapen teeth was." Kazuya thought, as he returned to the appointment lobby. Kazuya entered the main reception desk and pulled a nearby lever, opening the blast door to the Administration offices themselves. Kazuya entered the main administration section, only to notice Attia and Mark, with the help of Chiffon Fairchild are searching for Kazuya. "Not these guys again. I'd better stay out of sight." Kazuya muttered, annoyed, as he waited for Attia to pass by him. ahead of him, he found an office with a recorder with the voice of Gengo Aoi: "A Small Memo to all Administration Offices: I have been hearing rumors that I simply cannot tolerate any longer: the idea of our company being in financial trouble is untrue and a slanderous lie against us. It has also been brought to my attention that some backroom interns have been questioning my leadership! As a leader, I work hard to steer the proverbial boat to our destiny, looking at the big picture, so to the doubters, I say this: Set your minds at ease about such complicated manners, focus on your own duties and trust your leader: Me." The recorder played, before it stopped. "So that's why Chevalier is crooked. They were desperate for money." Kazuya thought. Kazuya found a recorder in the office to the right of him, with the voice of Kaho Hiiragi: "So it turns out it's my lucky day. I got to cleaning some of the offices around 2 am last night and what do I find on one of the chairs? A Big Freaking Burger Queen Burger! Just sitting there, calling my name! You know, I work hard for you! I earn my pay! Every stupid yen! But do you know what this company's missing? Benificial Workplace Perks! And this Burger I ate? It's a Perk! Hopefully no one finds out, but in the off chance that they do, I'll tell them what: I'm Quitting!" the recorder sounded before stopping. "I used to feel that way too. But then again, menial labor does have its place." Kazuya commented before returning to searching, and found, in an L shaped corridor, 2 a corridor with 2 locked doors, with a recorder with the voice of Gengo Aoi: "Listen, Louis! I know You and your associates at the El Corporation are doing your best, but I'm paying you for viable fighters, not Bizarre abominations! Whatever that malformed figure, wandering around your office was, you had better keep it imprisoned thoroughly! I realize it was merely an attempt at creating a more obedient copy of that Doll of yours but imagine if the press caught sight of it! It may even frighten visiting dignitaries! Also, in response to your previous memo, If your failures are indeed due to the fact that these fighters lack a soul, we'll give them a soul. I OWN THOUSANDS OF THEM!" the recorder played, before stopping. "Now that's the grandfather I remember." Kazuya thought. As he ran past 2 more hallways before finding a door with a golden engraved sign reading "Office of Gengo Aoi". Inside the office, he found several certificates, standard office supplies and a recorder with Gengo's voice: "I know how much this leadership opportunity means to you, Elizabeth. I had such high hopes for the academies as well. In fact, I'll let you in on a personal secret: I too believe that Limiters and Pandoras can be trained to their full potential. I want them to be able to partner up so they won't be lonely in battle. So that they can fight alongside each other, so they can spend a romantic afternoon together. Elizabeth, I'll level with you: I'm putting together a small project. A little…ceremony if you will. I want you to contribute to the cause of taking back our planet. Do we have a deal?" the recording played until it ended. Kazuya found a nearby stigma vat inside the office. Kazuya went out of the office to notice that Chiffon Fairchild had spotted him, and shrieked so that Attia and Mark would be alerted to his position. Kazuya raced for the Lobby, Fairchild, Simmons and Anthony giving chase. Kazuya used the repository in the lobby to dispense a spare pipe, when suddenly a strange aura appeared, with an ominous humming noise, coupled with a heartbeat noise, could be heard. The Prototype was skulking in the balcony above. Suddenly, this gave Mark the split second he needed to Catch Attia and Chiffon off guard, knocking them out. "What the-?!" Kazuya asked. "You taught me something very important. And that's to always stick to your guns. I will help you in any way I can, Kazuya." Mark said. "Ok. It seems there are a few missing pipes in that room over there. I think there are a few inside. Look for a door marked "Office of Gengo Aoi. There should be a stigma vat inside. I'll stay here in case that thing decides to show up. "You got it." Mark replied, as he delved into the maze. He wandered through the corridors, until he found Dr. Aoi's office. "There it is. There's the vat, alright. this paper looks interesting." Mark thought as he brought a bucket full of Stigma fluid, along with the cryptic letter back to him. He went back to the lobby and gave the bucket to Kazuya. "I found this. In the office." Mark said. "It's a government letter. It reads "Dear Dr. Aoi, I appreciate your intentions to aid humanity in a method such as you have attempted. As you requested, I have re-evaluated the financial status, regarding your business called "Chevalier Coproration", and Regrettably, due to our tight fiscal situation, we are still going to have to close your Laboratory. Yours sincerely, Shiro Nakamura, Prime minister of Japan.". So THAT's why no one uses this place anymore. It was condemned by the government." Kazuya said, in surprise. As he placed half of the stigma amount inside the repository to dispense a T-shaped pipe, and used the rest to dispense a corner Pipe, and then placed the pipes inside the Pipe system, causing the nearby flooded chamber to drain, allowing him to enter. However, Kazuya heard a rumbling noise and went to investigate with Mark. At the far end of the corridor at the opposite end of the Administrations section, was a hallway with a strangely disorganized wall, with a makeshift Scythe next to it. Mark Picked up the scythe, causing several Pandora Zombies to appear. "What are those things?!" Mark asked. "failed experiments, in a nutshell." Kazuya replied. Mark swung the Scythe, slashing through the zombies. "Hey, I did it!" Mark said. As they left the corridor, to realize they were in front of the door to Dr. Aoi's office, and upon opening the door, Attia suddenly appeared. "I can't believe you. You would betray me like this?! How could you trust him?!" Attia yelled in disbelief. Mark Readied the scythe, and Attia activated Elegant glory, and the 2 readied themselves for a duel. Attia came charging at Mark, who leapt with the Blade of the Scythe at the ready. He grabbed a nearby Crowbar with his other hand and threw it at her face, and Chopped her in the forehead with the scythe, effectively scarring her. "That was too far. You just made it personal." Attia growled, grabbing Mark's neck. Kazuya, going for a running start, charged at Attia and tackled her, knocking her over. Attia recovered and readied Elegant Glory. Mark Sliced Attia clean across the chest, with the Scythe. Attia grabbed the handle, trying to pull it away. Mark resisted her. "Give…me…that…Scythe!" Attia growled. "Okay." Mark Said, Flicking the blade forward, knocking her back, stabbing her in the ribs. Attia swung Elegant Glory forward, only to miss, causing Kazuya to shoulder bash her into a nearby wall. Mark Struggled with Attia, only for Kazuya, using Attia's exposed Nipples as a weakness, to squeeze her nipples, causing her pain "Titty Twister!" Kazuya yelled, as he Squeezed her nipples so hard to the point of disorienting her, only for Attia to Bite off a piece of Kazuya's Ear, and then spitting it out. Mark Bashed the Chair from Dr. Aoi's office into her teeth. "Fuck the Third years!" Kazuya shrieked, defiantly, before staggering her with a cannonball fired from his swivel gun. "Why are you doing this to me?!" Mark yelled. "I could ask you the same thing." Attia replied, as Mark swung the blunt end of his newly found scythe, into her back, knocking her down. Kazuya ran and hung from a ceiling pole, catching Attia in a Choke hold, before she shook him off, bashing him into a wall. "My fight was never with you." Attia Growled. "Well, Satella didn't do anything about it. 3 words: Louis-Fucking-El-Bridget!" Kazuya flippantly replied, as he kicked Attia in the groin, and knocking her out with an Uppercut to the face, knocking her through a wall. "Well, she looks to be down for the count." Mark said. "Come on. Follow me." Kazuya said, leading Mark out of the administration section, through the lobby, to the Piping system in the adjoining chamber. Kazuya went into the Vault, with mark following him. A nearby radio in one of the boxes started playing the Hank Williams song called "Lovesick Blues", as they searched the vault. Leaving no stone unturned, they searched everywhere, and found nothing useful. "Well, whatever was in here now. it appears to be gone." Holly said, suddenly appearing behind him. Kazuya gasped and turned to notice that Holly and Howard had followed him. "Who is that?" Howard asked. "A disillusioned limiter." Kazuya replied. "Mark Anthony." Mark said, introducing himself. "How did you get down here?" Kazuya asked. "It helps to carry a rope. You should try it." Howard replied. "Look, I know where we have to go, but it's not going to be pleasant. The Prototype has something that we need. I'm going after her." Kazuya warned. "You're going to her lair?! Are you crazy?! You're a limiter!" Mark yelled, in surprise. "A Limiter with a purpose." Kazuya corrected. "Fighting a Pandora when you're a limiter would be suicide." Holly said, surprised. "Well, that's where the trail seems to lead." Kazuya said. "Well, it's likely close by at this point. Likely through that door. But it will be hard to open. I will need 3 gears, a crowbar, hmm…some form of counterbalance…" Howard replied, only for Kazuya to cut him off, saying "I'll do you one better: The 1825 Swivel gun. It bears the mark of King George III. Essentially, it's a cannon. Just watch." Kazuya said, firing a cannonball at the door, forcing it open. "Well, I suppose that works, too." Howard commented, as he, Kazuya, Mark, and Holly went through the hallway, passing an empty projector and an office desk. "There's my old desk. I wasted so much time with those Stigma vials." Kazuya commented as they went south into a large hallway with a Mirrored section in the middle. Suddenly, that familiar dark aura suddenly appeared, as the Prototype wandered down the hall, gruffly breathing as he passed. "Quiet. Nobody…make…a sound." Kazuya whispered, as they quietly snuck through the corridor, and found themselves in a large, cavernous chamber, with a massive flooding of Raw Stigma fluid, with a massive Pumping Machine at the center of it. The smaller pumping machine from earlier was lowered onto the larger one, activating it. "Wow. I've never seen this before." Howard said. "I don't see any way around. Nothing to build a raft with." Mark Said. "We're gonna have to wade across." Kazuya replied. "We can't. we're not like you. If we went inside, well…let's just say that a drop in the ocean is rarely seen again." Holly replied. "Well, I guess it's up to me. And I don't even know what I'm doing here. I don't even know why this is happening to me." Kazuya said, confused. "You're here for a reason, Kazuya. There's always a reason. You just don't know it yet. It's time…get us out of here!" Howard replied, encouragingly. Kazuya advanced into the tunnel leading inside the Pumping machine itself. "They could've at least given me some ammunition." Kazuya muttered, realizing that the drum inside the Thompson submachine gun was empty, and there were no cannonballs left in the Swivel gun. Kazuya went into the machine, realizing that there were several clones of the various West Genetics students, all of them in various states of undress. Kannazuki Miyabi, Elizabeth Mably, Satellizer El Bridget, and even Maria Lancelot. "Oh My god! They were making clones of test subjects to Fight the Nova. And look where that got them." Kazuya muttered, in a shocked tone. Kazuya pulled a nearby lever, causing a massive door to open in front of him, leading to a large, circular chamber with an improvised throne at the center of it. Surrounding the chamber were 9 monitors playing looped footage of past events. Kazuya found an oddly placed recorder. He pressed the play button, causing a recording of Gengo Aoi's voice to play: "it is simply awe-inspiring, what Science can accomplish! Even the smallest object can turn to meaning, when given enough encouragement. Look what we've built! We created life itself, dear grandson. Not only to contribute to the betterment of mankind, but also to aid in winning this dreaded clash. But…when the acceptance letters and the rejection notices stopped sending…when the spots in the Genetics Academies were all filled…only the monsters remained. Shadows of the past. But you can save them, Kazuya. You can peel it away. For you see…there is only one thing, and one thing alone, that no Pandora Ever knew: they were there for their beginnings, they received their genetic modifications in their middle, but none of them have ever seen…The End." Before the recording ended. "Of Course. I did do something, but I need to remember what it is. Maybe there is a clue hidden here. Hold on. Satella must be here. Otherwise her diary wouldn't be here." Kazuya thought as he wrote a note reading: "The book wasn't always yours. Read the beginning.". "Now She'll see. Hold on. She's coming this way. Better lay low." Kazuya thought, as Satellizer came down from hiding to look for Kazuya. "No more games! Come out right this instant! Come now, Kazuya. I grow tired of this game!" Satellizer yelled, frustrated, before turning to notice the note left behind. Satellizer opened the book and was shocked to notice there were strange writings in the book. "I do not recall writing any of this." Satellizer thought as she opened the book to the first page "Hmm…"I don't quite know what happened or what went wrong. Was it a mistake to create the Nova? I thought it would be something that would benefit mankind. But then the government agents showed up in my office that day. My friends in their workstations, my Sister, Kazuha…I hope you are all safe.". Hmm…that is a bit odd—hold on…there is more. What is this? "the laboratory was completely shut down. Likely to keep my experiment from falling into the wrong hands. The Facility was shut down under the premise that there had been financial issues.". I know something is suspicious, but I cannot quite piece it together. There must be more. "I found Kazuha's name on a list of those who died in the aftermath of the Eighth Nova Clash. She meant everything to me and I couldn't bear the thought that she died by her own hand. I lost everything. I had nothing left to live for. I went insane. All I could think about was to avenge her…somehow, someway. I got scared as I was no longer able to control my thoughts. All I could think about was that I wanted it all to end.". So it would appear that Kazuya was never spending a night off the grid for "Tax Reasons." He had ulterior motives from the very beginning. As soon as I find him, I will reassure him. After all, the thought of being molested by your betters is indeed a depraved thought. Myself, by Louis, and he, by Maria Lancelot. Hold on, there's more: ""Revenge, that is all that matters to me now. When I began my research, I only wanted to do good. That's why I worked to create the Nova. But the leaders of the project worried that I'll use it to take over the world. So they seized my lab at Chevalier Corporate Headquarters and then they took Kazuha Away from me, and my life took on a new purpose. Instead of helping people, I would get revenge on them. Night and day I've planned, so long after I am gone, my revenge will be complete. I've done it! My greatest design is now complete! The ultimate weapon. Project: Pendragon is a reality. My enemies think they have defeated me, but my weapon will even the odds, and then I can finally rest. Now it sleeps, but one day it will be reawakened! Everything my grandfather built will fall. And from the ashes of his hopes and dreams, I will build a better world to replace it. Based on my original schematics, I was able to create my ultimate weapon. I designed it to Finish the war once and for all, for my sister." Of course. Kazuya blames Chevalier. He blames Louis for creating that malformed abomination. Now I understand the strange recording. He blames the Third year students for making his life difficult. All he wanted was a partner. I understand his intentions but he needs not go as far as killing them." Satellizer monologued to herself.(Author's note: If the paragraph sounds strange, she is basically reading Kazuya's diary entries and muttering her personal opinion to herself). Satellizer noticed 4 nearby recordings. All of them were personal accounts from Kazuya Aoi. The first one played a voice recording. "Things are not going well for me. Satella has been assaulted, spat at, Molested, humiliated for no reason I can understand. This is getting out of control, but there's still a chance I can help her somehow. I can't let anyone know what I'm about to do. I'll need to set up the equipment far away from the Academy. It also doubles as somewhere to bury the evidence." The second one played another message: "I simply can't allow those stupid Girls to mistreat Satella any longer. I found it. The location of where It all began. I believe the plans for my retaliatory blow against the Nova can be found there. I must finish the plan to tie up this loose end. But can I really bring myself to kill?". The third one played yet another note: "I've made a contingency plan in case Satellizer discovers the truth. I've put the finishing touches on Project: Pendragon. A weapon poised to destroy the academies, and everyone inside. The evacuation orders should allow my friends to get out. But now that's it done, am I really capable of this? This... massacre, that I've engineered...I was hoping not to use it unless absolutely necessary, but Attia Simmons and her Gorillas have left me no choice.". The last one played sounds of a violent struggle between Kazuya and who sounds like Sister Margaret: "Get away from me! Who the Fuck are you!?" Kazuya said, in the recording. "I don't want to hurt you. I come bearing peaceful tidings." Sister Margaret replied, within the recording. "I don't care! My name is Kazuya Aoi, and no religious zealot can help me!" Kazuya snapped. "You're just scared. I can help. Just calm down." Sister Margaret replied, as sounds of struggling could be heard within the recording. "STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Kazuya shrieked, punching Sister Margaret in the face. "we do not wish to harm you!" Sister Margaret yelled, in a mixture of anger and fear. Kazuya ran past her. "God help us." Sister Margaret muttered as footsteps are heard. The final recording ended there. "Kazuya's behavior in that log calls to mind my first meeting with him. I seem to have pieced together more of what is transpiring, and it seems a bit too extreme for my tastes. Kazuya is angry at the third years for humiliating me. The government shut down this facility. I believe I may need time to Process this before I can continue to search for him." Satellizer thought, as she left the area. Kazuya came out of hiding, before the first Nova Prototype Suddenly appeared in front of him. She growled furiously as a glow cast over her, like a Nova form transformation. As her body glowed brighter and brighter, An unnatural flame-like aura cast over her, as her left eye fell off, replacing it with another made from the same material as the flesh of a nova. Strange wing-like appendages emerged from her back, resembling light. Several other parts of her body transformed into the same material. Her teeth enlarged into fangs. She advanced towards Kazuya and let out an ear-splitting screech, before backhanding him through the wall, sending him reeling into the industrial maze. The Prototype charged after him through all hallways at different angles. Kazuya barely had enough time to process a thought. After noticing a locked door, he devised a plan, to find as many levers as possible to open the door, whilst staying close to the walls as to avoid the mutated Prototype's repeated Septuple Accel, phasing through the walls to catch him off guard. He managed to find 4 levers in total, causing 4 nearby doors to open. Kazuya ran as fast as he could at breakneck speed to escape, only to find himself in another chamber filled with 4 more screens playing footage from one specific event: Kazuya rebelling against Gengo Aoi. "I remember this." Kazuya thought. As depicted on the Screen, Kazuya lunged at Gengo Aoi, and Pummelled him ruthlessly and brutally as he signalled for the guards to carry him away. Another screen showed him wearing a straitjacket, being thrown in the brig. Kazuya found a valve nearby. After turning it, the central power core turned on, Its regulators following, when the Prototype suddenly appeared. She Lunged toward Kazuya, slashing at him with her talons. Kazuya ran towards one of the regulators, causing the prototype to cut through the glass tubing, containing the regulator. His tactic became clear. "If I trick her into breaking these Regulators here, it should open that door. I need to get it to break the regulators and finish this up." Kazuya thought, as he ran towards another regulator. The Prototype charged at him with Octuple Accel, with enough force to possibly kill someone. Luckily, she only destroyed the regulator in front of her, bashing her head on the wall. The chamber started to fill with Stigma fluid. Kazuya ran to the last 2 regulators. The Prototype's Unusually Misshapen Breasts began to grow. Her nipples expanded and launched a blast of acid at Kazuya. The acid melted away the last 2 regulators, causing the reactor to overload. The door opened and Kazuya made a run for it, while the Prototype recovered from the power reactor's sudden explosion, causing a blackout to occur. Kazuya ran for the Throne room and Placed the nearby Film reel inside the projector. As the Prototype lunged, the sound of a projector running started to play. The Prototype turned toward the light as a film played of Kazuya, chained to a chair, with his hands zip-tied behind his back. A voice could be heard: "And Has the accused anything left to say before his sentence is carried out?". In response, the imprisoned Kazuya replied: "I Do. This is a death sentence to Every Pandora currently living. If My Calculations are correct, Project Pendragon will impact the 4 corners of the earth in 23 minutes and 52 seconds. ALL OF YOU WILL BE DESTROYED ALONG WITH YOUR BELOVED ACADEMIES! I plan to give you a taste of my revenge, once the First Nova Prototype has been obliterated by this very recording." A bright light emitted from the screen, sending the prototype reeling backward, before another screen played the same recording: "Once I initiate this program, It cannot be disabled." The Imprisoned Kazuya continued, as the Prototype weakened, crawling on the ground, seconds before the rest of the screens played the same recording, seconds before the Imprisoned Kazuya concluded his statement: "ALL YOU UNGRATEFUL PANDORAS, WHO TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME, WILL FEEL MY LOSS, DESPAIR, AND THE UNCEASING PAIN THAT I KNOW EVERY…SINGLE…DAY! I finish with this one final thought: to be activated on the day the Prototype sees this: Activate Project Pendragon! Authentication Codeword: "Devilish". Command, activate upon Prototype's demise! Command Directorial Override: "Kazuha"!" the Chamber Brightened around the Prototype, as it disintegrated into nothingness, never to be seen again. The recording continued, with an unseen voice talking: "Is there anything else you want to say?", to which the Imprisoned Kazuya replies: "No". seconds before the unseen voice yells "Ready…Aim…FIRE!", before the guards fired their guns as if on cue before the recording suddenly cut out after a sudden flash of light. "I'd be swiss cheese if it weren't for my freezing ability." Kazuya thought, before realizing: "but now I have bigger problems to worry about. The recording was set to play this video on every single screen in the world. I sure put on quite a show for a lot of people." Kazuya thought, as he left the studio, backtracking all the way to the Top floor and leaving the lab. "If Louis thinks he can just mess with her and get away with it, he is sorely mistaken. Luckily, I have a picture here. I just need to find any boy with blonde hair and I got him." Kazuya thought, as he began his search. Kazuya walked down a sidewalk, and found, within a clandestine back alley, a teenage boy with a cascade of flowing Blonde hair. He had been spanking an attractive girl. "LOUIS EL BRIDGET!" Kazuya screeched as he lunged at him. "I don't know who that is." The boy said. "Sorry. My bad." Kazuya said, as he walked away. At a local park, he found another boy of the same appearance, showing off his art in front of a crowd. "LOUIS EL BRIDGET!" Kazuya screeched as he punched the boy in the face. "Sorry. Thought you were someone else. Sorry everyone." Kazuya said, nervously as he backed off. Kazuya found another boy in the local red light district. A muscular young man was beating a little girl with a cattle prod. "LOUIS EL BRIDGET!" Kazuya screamed as he lunged at the man, only to be punched backwards, sending him reeling into a nearby garbage can. Kazuya wouldn't give up. Kazuya saw the photo and screeched "FUCK YOU LOUIS! I WILL TRACK YOU DOWN. AND I WILL FIND YOUUUUUUUU! I WAS MOLESTED TOO YOU KNOW! MARIA LANCELOT USED TO SPANK MY BARE ASS WITH A WHIP WHEN I WAS SEVEN! SHE FORCE FED ME HER BREAST MILK! JUST COME OUT ALREADY!" Kazuya screeched into the distance. Everyone around him stared at him directly. "What's his problem?" a young man nearby muttered. "Poor thing." A teenage girl behind him said, to herself. He clearly made a complete fool out of himself. So much so, that Satellizer, who had been watching him earlier, had also heard him. "Now I know why he ran. He only wanted to protect me. I need to bring him back to the academy. I only need to foreshadow him until he stops." Satellizer thought, as she began to follow him. Kazuya, realizing that he is being watched, simply screeched "WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME?!". This screech made her think of her own ruthlessness. "He has indeed grown bold." Satellizer thought, hiding behind a bush. "Must be losing my marbles." Kazuya thought, as he entered the nearby archive building, in hopes of tracking him down. Kazuya entered the name "El Bridget" into the computer. The first result that appeared was the El Corporation website. Kazuya looked through the website, finding nothing useful. Eventually he found contact information. According to the page, Louis El Bridget was currently living in Bali, Indonesia. "Indonesia?! But that's Hundreds of Miles from here! How the Fuck am I supposed to afford a safe passage there?!" Kazuya cursed in frustration. "Hold on. I know that voice." Satellizer thought. Kazuya, realizing that he was being followed, hid as a statue in plain sight. He Waited for Satellizer to pass on, before continuing. "Kazuya, You're making this much more difficult than necessary. Come out and show yourself. I grow tired of this silly game." Satellizer yelled, frustrated by the lack of results in her search. This yelling startled kazuya to the point of stumbling into a nearby bookcase. The bookcase tumbled over. "What was that?" Satellizer muttered suspiciously, before coming closer to the source of the noise. Kazuya isolated himself within the manager's office of the building. Kazuya locked the door to make sure he wasn't being followed. "OPEN THIS DOOR!" Satellizer yelled, frustratedly. Kazuya, thinking quickly, tossed a nearby computer monitor at the window, breaking it, seconds before Satellizer activated Nova Blood and Sliced the door in half. Kazuya climbed out of the window. "WAIT! Satellizer yelled, worriedly. "STOP FOLLOWING ME, CORPORATE LACKEY!" Kazuya screeched, assuming Satellizer to be a spy for Chevalier. Kazuya climbed down the manhole nearby, finding himself in the sewers. he fell asleep on the cold, metal ground, next to the reservoir. Hours later, A Silhouetted figure reached her hands out and grabbed him as he slept. Satellizer had finally found him. She carried him in her arms, holding him close to her chest, to keep him warm. She then went to the West Genetics academy. The other students stared at her, though mostly due to the fact that she was carrying Kazuya in her arms. Satellizer entered the girls' dormitory, in secret, and then entered her dormitory, placing him in her bed. Satellizer shuddered uncomfortably, and then went to the bathroom. "I had better do something about this horrid stench, first." Satellizer thought, as she disrobed, and the took a shower, to rid herself of the sewer smell. "Next time he starts a crusade such as this, he should consider inviting his Pandora sisters to come along." Satellizer thought, as she proceeded to clean herself. Meanwhile, Kazuya dreamed that he was in his childhood home. He heard whistling noises, and drew closer to find Gengo Aoi, casually washing dishes. "Grandfather?" Kazuya asked. "Kazuya? So soon? I didn't expect you for another hour yet. Now you're just trying to impress me. I know, I know, you have questions. You always do. But the only important question is this: Who are we, grandson? I thought I knew who I was, but the fame starved me. Nothing left but drawings on a sheet of graph paper. In the end, we followed 2 different roads of our own making. You, a scholarship…me, a crooked empire….and my road derailed. I let our creations become my life. But the thing is…you were always so good at pushing, my dear grandson. Pushing me to do the right thing. But…you should have pushed a little harder. Kazuya, come visit the old lab. There's something I want to show you." Gengo Monologued. (Author's note: This monologue is supposed to be a flashback to how Kazuya entered the lab in the first place. Can't give everything away.). suddenly, Kazuya felt a strange warmth as he slept. Suddenly, a white liquid started flowing into his mouth. Satellizer was reluctantly breastfeeding him, in hopes of forcing him awake. Suddenly, Kazuya suddenly awakened, and spat out the milk. "Gross! What did she just make me drink?!" Kazuya yelled, suddenly awake. "Good. You're awake." Satellizer said, relieved. "What the-Satella?! Where am I?" Kazuya asked, confused. "My dormitory. Here. I thought you might be peckish." Satellizer replied, holding out a Burger Queen burger. Kazuya briefly took a bite out of it and set it down. "Why were you following me?" Kazuya asked. "listen…I understand we may not agree on methods. However, there is one thing we have in common." Satellizer replied. "Oh really? What's that?" Kazuya asked, in disbelief. Satellizer sighed heavily and replied "I too, was the victim of sexual abuse. Although I suppose it would also count as Incest, given that it was my brother who committed it." Satellizer replied, holding out a tape, which she had taken from Louis' private office in the old Chevalier Laboratory and placed it inside a nearby cassette player. It was footage of Louis Violently raping Satellizer. He yelled random dominant comments, regarding her as a plaything. Needless to say, Kazuya was shocked. Satellizer was telling the truth. "Whoa. That's brutal." Kazuya commented. "The Scorn, the humiliation, the mockery. For years I could not even touch another man without remembering the pain brought upon me by my brother. I would never, under any circumstances, wish the pain upon anyone. Not even you." Satellizer replied, sympathetically. Kazuya suddenly started on the verge of tears. "How old were you when this happened?" Kazuya asked. "From what I remember, I believe I was 9 years old." Satellizer replied. "I WAS SEVEN!" Kazuya cried. This remark shocked Satellizer. "That is even more depraved. I overheard you mentioning Maria Lancelot. I assume you had some sort of history with her?" Satellizer asked, shocked. "Yeah. She did all sorts of Abusive things to me. I wasn't even old enough to do this. I just felt like I was being mistreated." Kazuya replied. "Oh, I am so sorry. If there is anything I can do to help…" Satellizer said, trying to help calm him down. "I really shouldn't impose." Kazuya replied. "I'm serious. Anything." Satellizer replied. Kazuya sighed, and said "OK. If you're going to do this, I'll need a few things. Somewhere isolated, preferably somewhere with no extradition treaties, a cassette recorder, much like the log I left behind for you. I'll set the trap." Kazuya said. "What sort of trap?" Satellizer asked. "I plan to lure the third years who humiliated you into a trap to show them How I feel." Kazuya replied. "I will see what can be done." Satellizer replied. Kazuya went to the cell phone in the dormitory and contacted Howard El Bridget, who had made his way back to his office. "Yes?" Howard answered. "It's me. Kazuya. Do you have any recording equipment?" Kazuya asked. "Whatever for?" Howard asked. "Look. I agreed to return to the academy. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. Simply put. I listened to you. It's time you helped me back." Kazuya said. "All right. I should have a few Cassette recorders saved for the proverbial rainy day." Howard answered. "Thank you. I appreciate you helping me." Kazuya replied. "It was no trouble at all. You taught me something very important. And that's to always stick to your guns." Howard said. "See you." Kazuya said. "Farewell." Howard replied, hanging up. He dug into his office desk and found an audio recorder. He sent it through a hidden mailing tube to have it sent to West Genetics Academy. Seconds later, Kazuya received it. He got to work on writing a message to lure the remaining third years in. suddenly, the cell phone rang. "Yeah?" Kazuya said, answering it. "I found something. This building was supposedly the same building I came in, searching for you." Satellizer answered. "Stay put. I'll be right over." Kazuya replied, hanging up. Kazuya secretly went over to the docking section, where the transport helicopters were kept. "Sorry, Sister." Kazuya thought, as he hijacked Sister Margaret's personal transport, and activated the autopilot to take him to the abandoned laboratory. 5 days later, he found himself at his destination. "Good. You're here. Now Here's what we're going to do. Put your mouth close to the speaker here and say what I've written here." Kazuya instructed. "It seems to be a surrender note." Satellizer commented. "it's a trick. I'm trying to trick them. With a lie." Kazuya reassured. "Ah…I see what you are playing at." Satellizer replied. Kazuya turned the recorder on. Before getting in position. Satellizer perfectly played the part of the surrendering victim. Kazuya's ingenius plan worked to perfection. After 15 seconds of recording, she turned the recorder off, and Kazuya blared it from a radio communications tower. "All right. What now?" Satellizer asked. "Phase 2 is underway. First, we wait." Kazuya replied. 5 days later, Third year students Ingrid Bernstein, Attia Simmons, Arnett McMillan, and Elizabeth Mably took the bait, unaware of what was truly happening. "They're coming. Hide." Kazuya whispered, as he turned off all the lights in the area. "I don't like this. Something isn't right." Ingrid commented, as they all went inside. They were drawn to a sudden light, coming from the screening area. They all went in. "We know you're in here. Come out and show yourself." Elizabeth yelled. "This is Satellizer. I am done running. I am all yours. I am inside the Chevalier Corporate headquarters. I'll be waiting." The recording played. "Let's get out of here. It's a Trap!" Attia yelled, before the door locked. "Connection terminated. I'm sorry to inconvenience you, Simmons…If you still even remember my voice. But I'm afraid you've been misinformed. You are not here to punish someone, nor have you been called here by the individual that you assume, although you have indeed been called. As a matter of fact, you were all called here." Kazuya monologued, before turning on the slideshow he had prepared. The first slide was a map of the building itself. Kazuya continued his monologue. "You were called into a labyrinth of sounds, smells, misdirection, and misfortune. A Labyrinth with no exit. a Maze with no prize. You don't even seem to realize right now that you are trapped. Your overzealous sense of justice has driven you all in endless circles. Constantly pursuing the bawling, anguished, mournful, humiliated cries of a certain, British Aphephobe, always seeming so near, yet somehow out of reach." Kazuya continued before the slideshow transitioned to footage of Satellizer being slaughtered by Ganessa Roland, one of her rivals from the carnival, the day Kazuya arrived. But you'll never find those cries now. none of you will. This is where your story ends." Kazuya continued, before turning the slideshow to a photo of the Mably Family before continuing. "And to you, the Daughter of a Multinational businessman, although there was a way planned out for you, I have a feeling that's not what you want. I feel that you are…right where you want to be. I am remaining as well. I am nearby." Kazuya continued, before turning the slideshow to footage of Kannazuki Miyabi sexually humiliating Satellizer, and her limiters photographing her bare buttocks. "This Thoughtless obsession of yours will not be remembered, but then the tragedy of what started all of this can finally begin to fade away. As the agony of every tragedy should." Kazuya continued, as the helpless Third years feebly clawed at the walls trying to escape, as Kazuya turned up the heat to an astonishing 100 degrees, causing the building to catch fire, before continuing his monologue, though not before turning the slideshow to photos of Satellizer's sling bikini from the beauty contest, and then video footage of Satellzer and Rana Linchen being slaughtered by Creo Brand and Arnett McMillan, in the gymnasium, as the heat continued to increase in intensity, as the heater turned up further and further with each passing moment. "And to you monsters trapped in the corridors: Be still and give up your spirits. They don't belong to you." Kazuya continued before turning the slideshow to photos of the remaining third years themselves, as Kazuya continued: "For most of you, I believe there is peace, and perhaps more…waiting for you after the smoke clears." Kazuya then switched the slideshow to a photo of Satellizer crying in humiliation, on the day of the beauty queen contest, with her sling bikini dissolving, with Attia looking on in Sadistic glee. "Although for one of you, the darkest pit of hell has opened to rape you in all 12 holes, so don't keep the devil waiting, old friend." Kazuya continued, with contempt in his voice. "You're Psychotic! You'll Kill us all!" Attia screeched in fear. Kazuya turned the slideshow to security footage from Noel Alon-Grache's deathbed in the hospital, before continuing. "My Partner, If you can hear me, I somehow knew you would come looking for me. It is in your nature to protect those who you care for most. I'm sorry that on that day, the day that you were estranged from your family home. Kazuya continued, as he switched the slideshow to footage of Louis raping Satellizer from behind, his penis inside her anus, before continuing. "the days in which you were abused by Louis." Kazuya continued, as he switched to photos of Satellizer struggling to survive out on the streets, before continuing. "The day that you were shut out, and left to die, no one was there, to lift you into their arms…" Kazuya continued before switching to a Photo of Kazuya saving Satellizer, on the day that she was nearly killed by Ganessa Roland, before continuing "The way I would lift you, into mine." Kazuya continued before switching to a photo of Satellizer being humiliated at the beauty contest, before continuing. "And then, what became of you." Kazuya continued, before switching to the final photo in the slideshow: A Drawing of Tombstones, each bearing the names of each of the third years that targeted Satellizer, as he finished. "Oh no…this is it!" Ingrid panicked. "He can't do this…not to us!" Ingrid added. "I should've known you wouldn't be content to stay out of my private affairs. Not my partner. I couldn't save you then, so let me save you now. It's time to rest. For them, and those they have victimized. This ends now. for all of us. In Pace Requiescat, Kazuya Aoi. P.S: Shove it, you deranged Bitch." Kazuya finished. Whilst he was monologuing, the heat inside raised to a whopping 250 degrees, leaving the Third years to burn to death…save for one. Elizabeth somehow managed to escape secretly. Kazuya and Satellizer left through the air ducts, as the Lab burned to the ground. "Now the last step." Kazuya said, as he turned on the last recorder he had handy: "This a message to Sister Margaret Stigmata: I'm sorry if my situation wasn't presented to you in an entirely honest fashion when I left in the first place, but it was important that this be done. I may be committed to my life as a limiter, but I'm even more committed to atoning for past mistakes and tying up loose ends. I am prepared to accept any punishment you may have for me, if there is any at all, given that I had led the proverbial sheep to their slaughter. Thank you for letting me finish what I started. Farewell for now and thank you for accepting me as a student." Kazuya said, into the speaker before turning it off. "let's head back to the school." Kazuya said, as the took the transport helicopter back to the West Genetics academy. Meanwhile, Sister Margaret, realizing what had happened, listened to Kazuya's note, and was enraged beyond all reason, although she pantomimed a cross shape with her arms, as if praying. Kazuya was about to enter his room, only to be stopped by Sister Margaret, who was holding a pointer in her hand. "That was completely irresponsible! This is NO WAY to protect your partner. All you did was slaughter my students. Also, you can't just leave the Academy grounds whenever you feel like it. We have rules here! And when you break the rules, you are going to pay the consequences!" Sister Margaret yelled. Rana Linchen suddenly arrived, hearing the commotion. "Rana, is it "Pay the consequences", or "Face the Consequences"?" Sister Margaret asked, confused. "Face the Consequences." Rana answered, monotonously. "FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!" Sister Margaret Screeched, whipping Kazuya with her pointer, before holding out a form reading "Notice of Expulsion". "What is that?" Kazuya asked. "This is an expulsion notice. And it has your name on it. I expect you off campus within 24 hours. You are a disgrace to the academy and your family name. If you think I take pleasure in expelling you…You're wrong." Sister Margaret yelled in a mixture of condemnation and grief, before forcefully yanking the academy logo badge from his uniform, as she contemptuously said "You broke all of our hearts!", before giving him a tape. Kazuya left the academy as instructed. "If He can't attend anymore, neither am I." Satellizer thought, realizing what happened. Kazuya returned to his childhood home, near the cemetery where his sister rested. Kazuya placed the tape inside the tape player, before a video containing a message from Sister Margaret played: "Kazuya, I want you to know that I take no pleasure in this decision, but at this point, you've left me no other option. You have defaced our authority in such a way, that you've been deemed "Extremely dangerous". Even for us. What they say you and Satellizer did to our enforcers…true or not, they have laid it on the line for you time and time again. It's reached the point where it's barely within my power anymore. You have cost me so much. All because you were focused on defending your partner's dignity, and not focusing on your own problems, and are you sorry? No. are you repentant? No. Well, we are through with you. Because of your arrogance,they're dead. So, you will accept the Exile this academy demands, and you will never return. And you will be lucky ever to be allowed in any of the Genetics Academies ever again. You had your chance to choose a different partner. Well, we are done giving you chances. Also, you're banned from Burger Queen, its sister locations, and its flagship location in Bali. I leave you with the reason for this ban." Sister Margaret monologued, before switching her feed to an archived video of Kazuya ruthlessly Beating a Cashier at the Burger Queen in the academy cafeteria. The video then ended after that. "Yikes. That's intense." Kazuya muttered. "Indeed. As far as the academy is concerned, we are never allowed back in. however, as a top customer at Burger Queen, I may be able to, as you would say "Put in a good word for you"." Satellizer commented. "I live in a cruel world." Kazuya muttered as he went inside the bedroom and fell asleep. Satellizer, wanting to comfort him, removed her dress and her underwear and crawled into the bed with him and embraced him as he slept. Meanwhile, Howard, inspired by Kazuya's actions, sent a message to the computers in his family home in Bali: "Violet, Olivia, If you're reading this, then my worst fears have come to pass. Louis, as you suspected, was maltreating Satellizer. For what it's worth, I am glad Kazuya told me about this when he did. However, if either of you enter the family tomb, do not access my personal accounts, as it contains only a message for Louis. Thank you for your understanding. Sincerely, Howard.". Howard, utilizing Satellizer's voice recordings, lured Louis El Bridget to the Family tomb. Like a dog to pot roast, Louis took the bait. "Hmm. That's odd…I could've sworn she was down here." Louis muttered, confused. Louis accessed the nearby computer to access his father's personal accounts in hopes of Tracking Down Satellizer, in hopes of making her his doll once more, only to be met with an audio message, surprising him: "Louis, If you're listening to this, this is goodbye. You will have many years to reflect on what you did to your sister. Why you have smiled in the faces of myself and your mother and held a whip to Satellizer, I do not know. You were to be my sole heir. You were respected and admired by many Pandoras. When you finally pass away down here, either by your own hand or starvation, know that your blinkered, outmoded, and frankly Selfish, lustful, greedy obsession has led you here for no reason I can understand. You have made a habit in using her to vent your semen and your urges, now the family tomb is your reward. Whether you used blackmail or force - or even played to Satellizer's fear, it will not help you down here in the Family tomb. Your obsession has led you here. I hope this message leaves you as empty as you left me. The door has sealed, the elevator has lowered, never to be raised again. No matter how much you beg, bleed, or cry, the door will never open. EVER! Know that on the eve your passing, I shall raise my glass and whisper "Fortunato". In Pace Requiescat, Howard El Bridget.".This enraged Louis beyond all reason. He had never felt this betrayed before. "If he really thinks he can imprison me here. He is sooooooooorely mistaken. I will find Satellizer, even I have to kill father to do it." Louis yelled as he shook his fist in anger, vowing revenge.

The End.


End file.
